SISTER2

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 5. December 2006 23:35
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Tuesday gone

Dearest Sis,
I have got my laptop back!
It is difficult to get a place for it because of the new home PC set up, but I have too much in it.
I have to go to Italy at the beginning of the next week, and all preparation procedures are on the laptop. I tried to find them on my PC in the office, but even I have checked whole my drive (my library on the company's intranet) I could not find anything. Very annoying but it was always in this way. I was simply too lazy to transfer all the stuff from my laptop to the office facilities when I have stopped travelling. And each time I do not have my laptop with me (and this is a normal situation at the office) I just need something from it, and cannot get it. So it ends with unpaid homework, even I never complain about it (love it).
I have survived the presentation for the VIPs.
Four hours before the gathering I have visited our official cinema and presentation room (where the VIPs have been invited before their Christmas spread), said hello to one of our company's director (never met the guy before), who was in charge of the meeting and checked the facilities. The funny thing was that when I came at the time the guests have arrived he could not recognise me because I have put a white shirt, a tie and a jacket (my official duty uniform) on! Looks like in these circles the suit makes the man.
I have made a little bit more changes in the presentation than Tina has suggested, but of course, the system in the cinema room runs in a different way and has "eaten" a couple of slides.
But anyway the audience was satisfied with it and rather unexpected I had to answer plenty of more or less qualified questions. The only problem was that I came home after 7:00 PM even I have politely declined the invitation to stay and eat with them.
Your problems with the disappearing work on the computer do not surprise me. You are my sister, and anything than fumble with computer work will be not normal.
Concern my services in your garden I have to disappoint you.
I think it will be cheaper for you to get local manpower, because I do it, of course, free of charge, but have to get the refund for travel and tool expenses. And do not mention anything about the weather and temperature, if you will still keep you loving brother.
Tina has tried not to use the wooden shoes at work and it looks like the pain in her legs is not that strong. So maybe it was the shoes anyway.
Fall foul of her again because did not react at the first time on the request to put the newspaper container and all other junk in front of our possession (the community service takes the bulky refuse once a month's).
Have to live with it. Too lazy to make changes in life and still love her much.
Love you too.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 6. December 2006 20:18
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: One day to kids Christmas tree!

Dearest Sis,
Nika has called and I have realized that we have to go with the kids tomorrow!
I have totally forgotten, even though it was I who provided the tickets.
So that is it. Your brother will be the child no. 3 (no gifts for him, pity).
The other kids will get some gifts provided by our company employee's organization (a kind of trade union, but without balls - sorry my French). I have also entered Nadya's name on the gift list, even though she will not join us tomorrow. Since the adults do not get any gifts and have to buy everything, the adult tickets are free of charge. The child ticket costs a whole 10 DKK (2.25 AUD), so we do not go broke.
Eventless day in the office.
Collected some old reports for Italy job, send a standard test procedure to the client, and tried to help my new colleague to make a training programme. Very queer case. Normally we make some course offers for at least ten participants per course (break even at 7 participants), and we can hold the price on a reasonable level. In this case, we have to give an offer for four separate courses, one-week duration each, for one person (from Egypt)! And he wants (his company has to pay) an offer for a plant study tour (totally two weeks duration) to at least two cement factories. And our cost will be the same as for seven persons. So the price will be much too high to be accepted. And I know the guys. They will not stop but will try to bargain, change the duration of the courses and demand the same technical content given in no time. The only hope is that our offer will be out of their range.
Wish I could be with the whole farm in Yarrawonga.
Can just imagine how it will go. I love to be a spectator for such things.
But I am positive that you all survive without permanent injury.
To make the confusion worse I will try to call on Saturday just after dinner time (7:30 - 8:00 PM Australian time).
Love you much.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 7. December 2006 23:23
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Bombed

Hi Sis,
A little bit bombed today.
Not because of the kids Christmas tree, even though the dancing with Jesper all the time was a little bit tiring. No, the kids have enjoyed it as much as I did, and the only problem was that Tina has demanded from me to be representative (tie and jacket), and I was one of the few (among 1000 persons) who were so official dress. And it was a little bit difficult to run like crazy with the kids in such an outfit.
No. The problem was that I have decided to download the dictionary through the internet.

The program, I got recommended (sharing file system) could fix the dictionary download, but the download speed was limited to 5 kb/s. Which means that at the file size of 98 Mb the download took a hell lot of time.
I have started the download at 10 PM and realized that it goes in comma (sleeping mode) if I did not activate it each one hour. I wake up at 3 AM and it was "dead", so I have activated it. Then at 5 AM, and at 6:30 AM. And had to wait to 9:20 AM before it was finished and have checked that it is working properly.
I went to the office not totally refreshed, and only just made it to 4:00 PM.
Then it was just a couple of hours to the kids' Christmas tree.
Fortunately, Nika has decided 8:45 PM that the kids have to leave (kindergarten and school start at 8:00 AM).
And of course, we did not go directly to bed. Some "interesting" movie on telly again (strange enough Tina did not fall asleep).
And now I am writing to you. Some bad habit or what?
Hope all well down under.
Love you
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 8. December 2006 19:39
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Alone home

Dearest Sis,
Came to an empty house again.
Tina has a yearly Christmas party for her company's employees, so she will come home late in the evening.
ra has gone bananas yesterday at the kids Christmas tree. I have checked it before we left, because it has some tendency to lose the power, and everything looked all right. But when I tried to shot some pictures at the party it showed only black display!
Since I am going to Italy, and I need to take some pictures of the installation, I have asked the department to provide another camera. And I got one. Nice, cute and handy, but it is missing the USB connection cord to my laptop
I can download the pictures at home, because my new computer has two different ports for SD-card reading, but my laptop does not have such facility. So if I need to send some pictures by mail to my company, while I am on site, it will be a problem.
The lady, who gave me the camera, did not know that the cable was missing, but she was not surprised. It looks like my colleagues from the commissioning department have a tendency to lose some small parts, and they "provide" them by ripping the cameras in stock.
So I have to go to the airport about one hour earlier and try to buy the USB connection or SD-card reader. If everything goes wrong I will use my mobile phone camera (take it with me as it is a professional trip). Otherwise, I am almost prepared for the Italian tour.
It does not mean that I am packed or I have chosen the gear for it.
I have just completed the available documentation, and the last reports from the factory, and the rest will be as usual; the big magician improvisation.
Maybe not quite, because I have a little experience (18 years) in the job in question.
And maybe I will read the papers in the flight, and be more prepared to talk with guys.
Or maybe not. The flight time is something like two and half hours, then they will pick me up at the airport and drive to Gubbio (three hours or more), and then the working day will be over. And I get the evening to get it straight.
I know that you are in Yarrawonga and cannot read my mails.
So frankly speaking I am writing this for myself and not for you.
How can it be? Maybe because you are for me a kind of a mirror for my thoughts?
Or at least I have got someone I can bother with the things no one else wants to hear?
And you are too far away, and too polite, to complain?
Interesting question.
Will think about it later.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 9. December 2006 21:13
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Test (and other things)

Dearest Sis,
I have also jumped on the wagon and got Skype.
I will test it by sending SMS to your mobile.
You should not answer it, but just confirm it in the mail.
I have purchased Skype (10 EUR paid in advance = 10 hours Skype talk?) something like three weeks ago (on new PC at home) but did not use it until today (transferred it to my laptop).
It was nice to hear your voice. And again I had a feeling to be like a teenager again.
It means felt to have plenty to say and ask, but got a kind of blockage (?), so it has ended with the talk about anything.
Why that? Do I really have to be mentally prepared to talk with you?
Do I have a fear not to live up to your expectations about your witty and clever brother?
Or maybe something else? Do not know. But I do not regret. It was still good.
Was with Tina and Nika on the Christmas shopping tour.
Between us, I am not so excited about it.
Just to make that much of it because of one Jew, who made a more simple, and more popular, edition of the Torah (the Bible?!), has been born?
Of course, I know that for 95% of the Danish population it is an excuse for excesses at the company Christmas lunches, extra free days, excess eating and drinking, and giving the (Christmas) bribes to the people we expect to get benefit of, and the family members (especially small ones) we expect to please. But the excess of the last year's Christmas shopping is going above my intellect.
Even though the gifts were mostly for the kids.
Looks like the people could not buy too much, and they spent more and more each year.
We got from Mira a detailed list of the things we have to buy for Nadya.
With the internet page, item number and price. And of course, when we tried to purchase it on the internet, the goods were out of stock until the end of this year!
So what we do now? Three phone calls to Kolding (she was on her company's Christmas lunch part yesterday and on another Christmas' lunch today), and then she tried to convince us that the gifts could be given to Nadya also after the New Year.
And Tina is not with. Because the Christmas gift is the Christmas gift. Even though Nadya (still) does not care.
Fortunately, I am only a tool to order and pay for the purchases. So I do not care too much about the outcome of the discussions.
It was easier with Ella and Jesper, because Nika was with us, and the gifts were chosen by the kids in advance from the catalogue, where the goods were still in stock (except Disney's Trivial Pursuit).
But taking it from the good side I will get also some gifts too. I have just been disturbed in my mail writing to answer the question of what size of boxer shorts I used to wear. So I will be very surprised and happy to get the right size at our little family party (my beloved mother-in-law, Mira, Thomas and Nadya, Nika, Ella and Jesper, Tina and undersigned).
Hope you do not have such problems (maybe some bigger or different?).
Have to finish for today.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 11. December 2006 00:12
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Last mails topics

Dearest Sis,
Good to hear from you. And you should not apologize that it was short.
The most important is a thought, and that is enough for me.
Eventless day, except some home repairs (you know).
And now, when the time is a little bit (too) late I have started to pack for the tomorrow trip.
Oh no! What I am doing? Yes. Instead of it I am writing to you. Old (?!) habit. Cannot help it.

So it will be short.
I had no time to think about the last mails topics. But came to the conclusion that it has to be something about it. The only thing I know is that somehow you became a part of me.
And maybe this is the simplest explanation. Or is it? But it has to be, because it feels good.
What does it mean? Do not know yet. And if I try to analyse it now I will get stuck.
So you do not get any explanation today.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 11. December 2006 17:39
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Italy - day one

Dearest Sis,
What kind of the nighttime you use for mail writing?
It is 5:30 PM European time, and I am in the "hotel" now.
I have got a wireless internet connection, but that is all positive I can say about the hotel.
I had to move the TV on the floor in order to get the place for my laptop. And when I tried to move the table the top plate remained in my hands while the rest was still on the floor.
The room facilities are a little bit of Spartan style, but I have survived worse
The flight to Rome was OK, and I have been waiting for the luggage only twenty-five minutes, so it was not that bad. And the driver was waiting for me just after the customs.
These 200 km to Gubbio were not that bad. Good car and sunny weather, and more than 15ºC outside.
When we have arrived to the factory, the guy who has requested for my visit was not available, and the installation was stopped. And the others do not speak English. And to make it worse they have tried to explain me in plain Italian what kind of problems do they have. Fortunately I master the mix of Portuguese-Spanish-Italian, so I have survived.
They have given me an Italian car (a little one), and one of them has driven me in it to the hotel, and to the restaurant (another place) where I have to eat dinner. It looks like the waitress speaks Russian (heard her talking with someone on the phone), so I hope I can order something eatable.
But enough about me.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 12. December 2006 19:27
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: RE: Italy - day two (and counting)

Dearest Sis,Again funny time to send the e-mail from your place. It looks like your bad habit.Went yesterday for dinner in the restaurant the client has provided for me.It was dark from 5:30 PM, and the temperature has dropped to something close to zero degrees centigrade. But the mountain was lighted up with plenty of colourful lights, which have made a Christmas tree picture. The top of the mountain, where the cable car station is, was lighted up as a Christmas tree star. Quite entertaining. What I could not say about the food in the restaurant. Definitely not entertaining (service including) but eatable. The only good thing was that from the hotel to the restaurant was approximately one kilometre, so I got my daily portion of exercise.The wireless connection in the hotel was working slowly a couple of hours with some breaks from time to time, but I have succeeded to send what I needed.The day today was a little bit confusingIt was frosty in the morning, and the car windows were covered with a ply of ice. But inside the car there was no trace of a scraper or de-icing liquid. I have started the heating fan and have cleaned the windows with a plastic cover from the old tape (got form the receptionist).So I was a little bit late in the factory, but anyway nobody has been missing me.

Looks like nobody wants to be a host for me (too much work), and it was a little bit difficult to do something reasonable.Anyway I have started some activities, and hope they will clear the situation for me.Otherwise, it is hard to say what is wrong with the installation.But I have to find out what is it. That is what they pay me for.Never mind. It is not the first time I am in such situation. And until now always found a good lie.Do not be sad because you do not have time for dessert.I have called Tina and announced my mail (sent both to home computer and to her office mail), but I could see (web mail remote) that she has not opened it yet.Today I will try the hotel restaurant, so you do not get anything more.Love you.Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 13. December 2006 21:43
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Italy - Wednesday gone.

Dearest Sis,
Looks like the hours are coming on the level, even though it was still after midnight.
I have opened the mail in the evening just after dinner, so I could digest it quite easy.
Again the day in the factory.
In the morning could not find the mobile phone. Turn upside down the computer bag and the instrument bag in the office and could not find it. Went to the hotel and asked the maid. No catch. Then tried the suitcase (impossible - was closed), and the drawer.
And found the mobile... in the bed! Looks like have slept on it all the night!
It remembers me a story from my young days.
One time (and there were plenty of them) I was on a ramble with my friends. After all the day with hiking, singing, drinking and whatever else we did, I went to the barn for a sleep.
And all the night I had a feeling that something unpleasant was drilling my back.
In the morning I have realized that I slept on an umbrella!
So if you put these two stories together you can easily conclude that your brother cannot pretend to be the princess on the pea from Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.
But it is worse than that.
When I came home (hotel?!), I could see my credit card lying on the night table beside the bed. It looks like I slept on more things without knowing it and the maid have found them. Lucky me.
There is something wrong with my memory.
I used to say that I still have a good memory, but it is unfortunately very short.
But this case looks like Alzheimer Light. I had no idea that I have missed that card.
Achieved not much in the factory.
Most of the day went on waiting. When I was in Copenhagen I have sent them a list of equipment we have to use during the test, and they have answered that yes, they have them.
Today I got to know that they have to hire someone from outside, who has the necessary instrumentation. When the guy came I have asked him about the technical specification of his equipment. And he was positive that it is suitable for the purpose.
But when we began the measurements, one of the instruments could not be used.
So I am still missing some data for analysis of the problem, and it looks like I have to use the new instrument I have in my instrument bag, which I never used before (put in the bag when packing just for safety case).
And I hate it. I hope I can use it, but it is many years ago I did that kind of work, and of course it was quite different (and less sophisticated) instrument. But I have to do it; otherwise I will be missing the necessary data. And it will take a part of the day tomorrow, and it is unknown if I can finish the work before Friday and go home for the weekend.
The guy who sent me was so clever that he booked my return ticket for 20th of December.
So maybe I will get an opportunity to search the town at the weekend time again.
And you are the only one, who is bothered with my writing, because my wife has not opened the home mail, and did not read my first mail yet. I have checked our home mailbox a couple of times in Italy (used to clean it remote for trash mails), but Tina has to have at least one week of my absence to open the computer and check the mail. And she knows very well that I will call her a least once a week, does not matter how far or how close I am from home.
So lucky me to have you.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 14. December 2006 21:06
To: editmorrison
Subject: Still Italy

Dearest Sis,
Hope you had a good celebration.
I had plans to work out a "countdown certificate" for you and Ross, but I did not get time to do it right, so you have to wait for it to the next year (or maybe latter).
The real certificate you deserve after 40 year in the marital chains.
Funny. The life sentence expires after 25 years, but the marriage does not.
No wonder there are so many divorces.
To stay together needs something more than love, (maybe some dose of laziness?).
And one has to be lucky to tie with the person who feels in the same way. Especially nowadays, when the women self-supporting is not that big issue any more. And especially with the new generation of people, who have been learned to think first of all about their own needs and wishes. They become more selfish and less ready to offer their pleasure for a couple unpleasant duties, which are connected with family life, kids, home and other more or less (private) time-consuming things.
But enough home-made philosophy.
Back to my horses.
Got a quiet day at the factory.
Succeeded to increase the mill output to something, which is better than my company's guarantee, but still have a problem to achieve the client's (alleged) best result. Probably not possible with the raw materials they use at the moment from their quarry, but it will be difficult to say it to them, and difficult for them to swallow it. So I need to spend more time with some additional tests.
And the result will be an impressing report, which will explain why they cannot do this and that, and what is needed to achieve it. And of course most of the recommendations will be not followed.

But everybody will be satisfied. The client, because the achieved now production level is more than sufficient for their needs. And my company, because we have solved one more problem (who cares how?), and have still a satisfied client, who potentially will buy more of our equipment.
Otherwise, after has made the measurements with my own instrument (not that bad at all), used the day for observing the installation run.
The inspection and the measurements inside the mill (again dirty Dan!) are agreed for tomorrow. Then the re-start of the installation (probably on Saturday), final tune, writing recommendations and the final discussion.
And in between we have a week end. So my departure is probably postponed to Wednesday?
Who cares? It will be as it will be. I will anyway come home before Christmas, which is important because of the kids, who love to get the presents.
I was very hard-working with your email after I came back to the hotel
And now it is a dinner time (my reward), and I will try to send this mail after I come back.
And probably I will re-send it in the morning from the factory, because the last two times the hotel (hopeless) wireless internet connection could not find your server.
Anyway, still love you (and miss you too).
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 15. December 2006 22:15
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Friday evening (Still Italy)

Dearest Sis,
I am still in Italy. And I will spend all weekend in Gubbio, because the superiors do not work Saturday and Sunday.
Good for me (?!). In a way yes, because I do not need to work. But on the other side it is just a waste of time for me
Today we have agreed to stop the installation, so I could play Dirty Dan again.
But when I came in the morning the mill was still in operation. They have got some damage on the mill in the night and have just started it one hour before I came. And then they have asked me if I mind to work on Saturday, because it could be more convenient for them. So I said yes, why not, and have served them a list of activities, which should be done during the mill stop.
And then they have changed their mind again and decided to make the stop today anyway.
But the mill had to be stopped in the afternoon, and all activities have to be done today.
Rather ambitious plan, if one will take in consideration opening the machine, two hours waiting time for the cooling, cleaning for excess material, inspection, measurements and so on. So it looked like late evening anyway.
They have stopped the mill at 1PM, but the opening of the manholes for cooling was postponed to 2PM (new shift arrived). And then they said that the mill has to be re-started latest at 5:30PM.
Which means that most of the measurements had to be cancelled.
But what to heck. So I did what I could, which means not that much.
And after the inspection inside I have realized that the cancelled measurements are not necessary.
Demanded cleaning of the connection pipes for a suspicious instrument, and decided to stay until the mill has started. And surprise, surprise! The cleaned pipe has given quite different readings in the control room. This means that nothing is wrong with the mill!
And the only problem is the material from the quarry!
It is harder to ground than before, and that is why the mill output is less.
And the mill still fulfils my company guaranties, but not the client's high expectations.
And this happens four year after the machinery was commissioned!
The client is producing on the delivered by my company production line 15% more than we have guaranteed. And of course we deliver the machinery with not much overcapacity than that.
Otherwise we could never make a profit.
But how you can tell it to the client?
I have all the weekend to prepare what I will say. The only problem is that I cannot contact my company to agree the policy. But I know that it does not matter, because in the end they will say that I am on site, so I have better feeling with the case than they have in Copenhagen (standard responsibility refusal No.1).
So apart from short visit in the factory, your brother will play a foreigner on tourist trip in Italy.
You get the full report from it at proper occasion.
Hope does not have tired you too much with this story.
Love you much.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 16. December 2006 17:01
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Saturday in Italy

Carissima Fratella,
It sounds sweet. Does it not?
So much Italian for today.
Slept a little bit longer and came to the factory after 10 AM. And of course they have changed all my settings from yesterday evening. Fortunately there were some superior guys, who tried to explain to me why they did it. It sounded almost reasonable but not quite.
And all of a sudden they become interested in the second mill, and asked me how long I can stay.
Fortunately my ticket's last departure day is 20th of December, and this is what I have told them. But I have to wait to Monday to find out what they have decided.
Called Tina (did also yesterday), and she has not opened the mail yet.
And this is my fault because I did not show her how to do it.
(And when I wanted to show her before I left, she did not have time to do it).
I know that she will not be alone today, because Nika has written that they have planned to invade her in the afternoon. Good for her and good for Nika, because the invasion has been announced and the dinner will be ready.
Nika has also sent me the pictures of the kids in Santa's outfits and a couple of pictures from my company's Christmas tree party. And I look awful in this bl.. jacket and tie I was forced to wear. The only funny picture is that one where I wear Santa's hat, but then I look like I have been after seventeen drinks.
So you do not get any of them.
On contrary, you are lucky to get only one picture from my tourist trip in Gubbio.
Apart from me you can see the mountain with the restaurant and the cable car station, the "Tre Ceri Sanctuary" below and some old town walls at the bottom of the mountain. And in front of all of it little me.
Ti amo.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 17. December 2006 17:48
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: RE: Database Crash

Carissima Sorella,
Looks like my Italian became contaminated by my Spanish.
In Spanish hermano is a brother, and hermana is a sister. In Italian fratello is a brother, but fratella does not exist! She is called of course (among others) sorella.
So much for my Italian.
I do not know if it will make you less sorry for you, but my tourist adventure, which I have postponed for today (yesterday I was too long in the factory), has ended before it has begun.
Because when I stayed up I could sing:
"Its heavy rain, hallelujah!" or something in that style. And it is still raining.
So I was at the factory again. And they have change the settings again. And I put them on my values again. And I have written the preliminary report for tomorrow meeting, and sent the copy to the company. Maybe someone will comment it before my meeting, maybe not, If they do not find anything else to do, I will be going home on Tuesday.
And if they do, I will go home on Wednesday. No big difference for me.
End of story and only final report writing will be back (provided they are not satisfied with the preliminary one, and want to pay for the other one).
Still no email from my beloved wife.
So lucky me to have you.
I just wonder what I did before I got you. I was probably a very frustrated man.
And when I look at our correspondence I can see that we (me?) are very selfish.
It looks like the other people are some place in outer sphere, but they are not that important.
And I am talking about our very close family. For instance our "padre" and yours "madre".
Looks like they exist outside our circle. How can it be?
And guess what.
Strange enough I have no bad conscience about it.
I love them much. But it is like in quite another world than you and me.
Am I really that bad?
To fix it just a little bit I will ask you to give me a detailed report about what is going on with the folks, and Ross, and Ross' mother, and Warren and Naomi, and the kids and Shirley and James, and all the others I cannot remember names of.
So now I have sent that monkey to you.
And you will dutifully report everything to me, even though it will be not that you like most.
And I love you for it.
Tua fratello
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 19. December 2006 00:11
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Still Italy

Carissima Sis,
I am still in Gubbio.
After the meeting, where I played "Un Grande Specialista Danese" (read: a Polish Jew from Russia), they have asked me to put all of my speech in writing. This means I have to write the final report tomorrow, deliver it latest Wednesday morning, and leave the same day for Copenhagen.
There were a couple of new guys at the meeting I did not meet before. One of them was a relative to the owners (does not speak English) and one who was quite good at English. After I have presented my finding (written summary, plenty of enclosures with the collected data, calculations, analysis, and explanation on the white board) I had to answer a plenty more or less relevant questions.
And since not all of them could catch the point, they want to get it in writing.
That guy who was fluent in English was so interested in the topics that he has captured me for the rest of the day. It was not that bad because we got a nice lunch together.
And after we have been finished with the technical discussion we had time to discuss the Italian wines (the topic I have not that big idea about). But the guy's parents have a wine yard, where the wine was used instead of water, and nobody took care of the quality. The quantity was more important. So we have discussed the wines (he did), and I could only remember the story from South Africa.
I went there in 1998 to participate in a milling workshop for Pretoria Portland Cement Company. The trip came rather unexpected for me, but surprise, surprise, Tina wanted to go with me (South Africa sounds good you know), and she managed to get two weeks free from work (normally her excuse not to go with me was that she could not get free from work).
So we went for Johannesburg and got two days in Pilanesberg Natural Park.
Then I had two days workshop with the company's process engineers, and Tina had two days shopping tour in Johannesburg. Then we went to Cape Town, where Tina was entertained by our representative (wine yard tour), and I have visited two cement factories. One day I was in the factory together with our representative in SA because we had to discuss the customer's order for some milling equipment. And when we were finish with the negotiations I was forced by the guy to visit the factory production manager's house. It means not the house itself, but its wine cellar.
Because our representative was crazy about wines. I went with him and looked at the wine cellar, and listen to their discussion about the temperature and age of wines, and classes, and many other rather not interesting for me things.
To get a little entertainment I have talked with the lady of the house. She told me that they have got a new maid, and she was so unpolished that she begun to dust the bottles in the wine cellar. And, as the lady expressed it, her husband was just to kill the girl for it.
Our representative was so talkative that the host felt pressed to present us a bottle of wine (each) from his stock. The choice was a South African red wine 13 years old, which according to the books had to be digested the same year. When I went home to Copenhagen, I have opened the wine and it tasted of ...nothing! (Have I not told you the story before? Sounds familiar for me.)
So this is what I could tell that Italian guy about the wines. If you think that I got free from this guy after the lunch you are wrong. He has taken practically all my time in the factory today. So I did nothing except answering plenty of the questions.
When I came back to the hotel I have decided to cancel the dinner. Instead of it I have chosen a mix of grapes, mandarins, breadsticks and an Italian entertaining program on telly.
After that I went out to burn some calories. That picture I send you was taken in front of the supermarket I have bought the goods. That Christmas tree on the top right are actually the Christmas lights on the mountain I sent you the picture of before. On the right side you can see enlighten "Tre Ceri Sanctuary".
I went up hill and almost got lost in the small streets of the town. Fortunately, my scout nose could bring me on the track again. But if I just have followed the way I have chosen, I could end far away from the city centre and my hotel.
So now I am back in the hotel, and instead to make some preparations for the report writing I am writing to my sister. Bad habit or what? Looks like I like it more than the other things.
And as long as I am writing to you I feel you very close to me.
Strange. Because you are always in my heart.
But I will not bother you with any analysis of it (again?!).
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 19. December 2006 23:11
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Ultima notte in Italia

Carissima Sorella,
You influence me too much.
Yesterday, after I was finish with the email to you, I just took a look on the report frame, and before I have realized it the clock has shown 2:30 AM! So I stayed up thirty minutes too late (7:30 AM instead of 7:00 AM), and was fifteen minutes late to the factory. And I was working like a bee all the day long. And when I came to the hotel I was continuing the job.
Then I went for a short dinner.
Came back and worked again.
And now I am finished with the report.
With the pictures it is something like 95 MB, so I cannot send it by email.
My modem connection (the wireless is totally useless) cannot cope with that much.
And my company server has a limitation of 20 MB.
So I have to print it before I leave the factory tomorrow.
Yes! I am going tomorrow morning (8:00 AM) to the factory, will leave their car there, and get another car with the driver at 9:00 AM. The driver will drive me to the airport in Roma.
I have a departure time 1:20 PM, so I hope I can manage it.
I have to go to the factory anyway, because I have to get sign my time sheet (paper work first). So I can also print the report and eventually transfer it to one of their computers.
The weather in Gubbio has gone totally bananas. The rainy weather has been today supported by the wind. And the hotel windows and doors are not tight. So I can hear it, and I can feel it. And the heating is lousy, especially in the restaurant.
It looks like they are accustomed to it, because everyone (except me) is coming to the restaurant with the coat.
I am very happy that my Italian fairytale ends soon, despite the fact that I have enjoyed playing the specialist on site again.
But it will be good to come home and be with the family again.
I think I will just send this email to you, and go to bed.
Ti amo.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 21. December 2006 21:53
To: editmorrison
Subject: Home2

Dearest Sis,
Went to work pretty late, and came home pretty early.
The only reason I went to the office was a meeting they have postponed waiting for my return from Italy.
And the outcome of the meeting is another trip to Slovakia in the beginning of January.
Tina has been at the doctors, and as I have written you one needs to have a pretty good health to be sick. Her original doctor had not time for her, and the substitute has discovered a kind of inflammation. Then she took the blood sample for further investigation, prescribed some painkillers, and told Tina to come back for the results ...the 8th of January!
Why? Because they close the clinic for Christmas and New Year!
And what Tina did? She had just accepted it! I was just to go mad when I have heard it!
I try to force her to call the doctor and get to know which doctor is taking over during his vacations, so she can get the results this year. To get her to listen I have also called Michal and got his opinion about it. So now I am writing to you and she is talking with Sweden (she has taken over my call).
We were on the shopping tour today again. The rest of Christmas gifts, meat for Christmas (two pieces of pork - 4.5 kg, joint of beef - 2 kg), and some other funny things. And the amounts were carefully discussed between Tina, Mira and Nika.
Lucky me. I am not involved in the technical part of preparation of the Christmas meals.
I will be just the unqualified manpower used for not complicated preparation work (cutting meat, mixing ingredients, and so on).
And the people from Jutland (Kolding) will come and help in the preparations. And Nika will do her part. And all of us will be eating until we crack. And the bad conscience will last for weeks. Maybe to Easter (or Passover) time.
How, how! Where I am? And what I am writing? It goes round for your brother.
So Happy Hanukkah to you.
Your loving and missing you
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 23. December 2006 01:09
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Good night

Dearest Sis,
Did not get a mail from you. Decided to think that you were too busy and too tired to write.
This is what I fear. Our correspondence is so frequent that all breaks feels not natural.
And what is not natural feels not good. And it starts a mental activity.
What happened? Is everything OK? As you can see too good can be not good.
This crazy brother of yours is a master to complicate the simplest thing when he starts to think too much.
Maybe because I care too much (can I?) for you.
Or maybe it is just selfish me craving for your attention (email each day at least)?
Do not know, do not want to know, do not want to analyse (did it anyway!?).
Tina's foot is better. After consultation with Michal we have realized that that substitute of the doctor was not that stupid. She has prescribed two things. One of them was a painkiller, and the other one was an anti-inflammatory drug. The problem was that on the prescription both things are written as painkillers. Only because of Michal's knowledge for drugs (he is a doctor himself) we know it.
This is the common problem in Denmark.
The doctors do not bother to explain the patients what is wrong with them and what kind of treatment they have decided to give them. There are some patients who came to Michal to get off the stings after a surgery, and they do not know what kind of surgery they had.
But never mind. Looks like Tina has decided to take also that anti-inflammatory drug (she did not use it before phone conversation with Michal), and it begins to work.
For safety case I have driven her to work in the morning, and was her driver on the way home.
nd of course we had to make some shopping before Christmas (again), and after that we had to buy a Christmas tree (kids), and the house looks like after the earthquake again. And Jutland horde will arrive at Saturday (late) morning.
And Tina has gone on the top gear. So I have to be patient and do not put more on her fire.
If we survive tomorrow the rest of Christmas will be a pleasure. I hope it will.
Hope you have arrived without problems to Queensland and get deserved rest for a couple of days.
Love you
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 23. December 2006 09:13
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Happy Hanukkah/Holidays/Merry Christmas/(AndWhatSoEver)

Dearest Sis,
Tina is still sleeping before the day will start.
And it will be some zippy activity when she stays up.
And it will be a little bit too much until the horde from Jutland arrives.
Then it will be too late to do anything else. And it will be as it will be
So only four hours to survive. Great!
I write to you now because I fear I will not get time to do it latter.
So sleep well and do not think what you have forgotten or should have done if you could.
Just relax. Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 24. December 2006 22:52
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: (Almost) survived

Dearest Sis,
Glad you have got a well-deserved rest.
But not good with Ross. Know it from my own experience.
The strong part of humanity (men?). No sign of weakness. Suffer in silence. And for what reason?
So the stubborn counterpart is necessary to get the things done right. Hope you can manage it, because he has to last a little bit longer than his proud (and not only for your sake).
Hope you (and Ross) will forgive me all that crap I have just put in writing. Have a tendency to be wise on others expense.
Yesterday was not that bad. We have managed to be (almost) on time with the preparations.
Difficult to get contact with Nadya. Too long break for that little child.
We got a couple of hours break because they have visit Nika in the afternoon and ate dinner at her place. And today it was the day.
Fortunately, the roles were agreed in advance.
So Mira was responsible for "ris a la mande" and Nika has taken care for roast pork, sugar-browned potatoes, white potatoes, brown (home-made) gravy, and red (sour) cabbage. Tina has in advance made "bigos", "barszcz" (ask Dad for detailed explanation) and a cake. Thomas has participated in roast pork cutting.
I was delegated to entertain the kids. Quite a challenge because of Nadya, who has her own schedule of going to rest, which does not fit the habits of the others. And the kids were not that much for the Christmas table and eating. They wanted the Christmas gifts delivered immediately.
But it does not go with Nika. They had to wait until the eating was (more or less) finished, and the dishes taken out of the table.
And then it has begun. The kids have got plenty of presents. The grown-ups have also got a little bit, but it was only to show that they have not been forgotten (totally 10% of all spending for 6 persons contra 90% spending for 3 children).
And a mountain of paper and cardboard boxes was rising higher and higher with all those packed up gifts. Fortunately, I could take all that paper waste together with my mother-in-law. It means I drove her home, and could dump the garbage in the container placed in her residential area (do it each year).
Then we had that "ris a la mande", but nobody has got that almond, which releases an extra gift. So we have to wait for tomorrow, when the rest of it will be eaten.
As the last point of the evening we have seen A LIFE OF BRIAN (Monty Python & CO.), which is our (Tina's and mine) tradition for this day. So the day was not bad at all.
Except my new computer does not work.
I have shown it (proud) to Thomas yesterday, but today it was totally dead.
The hard disc could not start. No light in the keyboard and no signal on the monitor.
And I have to wait until after-Christmas, if I am lucky and the company, who has sold the goods, is working between Christmas and New Year. Most of them (in Denmark) do not.
Fortunately, I have still my laptop
Miss you. Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 25. December 2006 21:29
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: RE: (Almost) survived

Dearest Sis,
Looks like your bad habits are still valid (checked the time), and it does not matter that you should have a little bit more time to do it earlier when you are on vacation.
Good thing is that you relax and get loaded your batteries.
We have (almost -three hours still to go) survived the next Christmas day.
Was with Nadya on a little walk, and she becomes more familiar with us.
But she is still mother sick, and when Mira is nearby nobody else exists.
Nika came with the kids in the afternoon, and we had a family gathering again.
The sound level was a little bit too high, but nobody has complained.
Now Nadya is sleeping, and the others are watching telly. She is not a good sleeper. She uses to wake up a couple of times during the night. We could hear it, but fortunately we are only grandparents, so it is not our duty to stay up. How lucky one can be?
The problem is that it happens also when she is put for sleep in the daytime. Which means that when Ella and Jesper are playing too violent, Nadya wakes up. And Mira and Thomas are not happy with it at all. But that is a family life, and you cannot satisfy everyone.
We had a little discussion with Mira about Nadya's birthday party.
And we got served the scenario, which was not quite eatable for us. And you cannot say that my youngest daughter is a diplomat. The way she has served the proposition was just to make Tina p... off. But we have found a solution without going to extremities.
Got a Danish jazz CD as a Christmas present.
Was surprised with quality. OK. A part of CD is based on an old Oscar Peterson's music.
I am sending one of his original recordings, so you can try to relax on it.
I use it when I have to relax or get concentrated to something I am not in the mood to do.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 26. December 2006 21:14
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: (Really) Survived

Dearest Sis,
I cannot believe it but it's over. All traces are (almost) hidden away.
Yesterday watched telly late in the night together with Tina. Just to relax after Mira and Thomas went to bed. And of course Tina has missed the ending and felt asleep as she normally uses to do.
Waked up 9:30 AM and ate the breakfast with them.
Prepared breakfast for Tina (has to eat before she can take medication for the foot inflammation).
Played a little bit with Nadya, and joined her for a nap before they have left (to visit Mira's friend and then to Jutland).
Nika came with the kids, and we went together to see a cartoon (Flushed away).
Went back to our house and played school.
And now we are (at last) alone.
It was a little bit too long. It seems to be nothing, but the days of preparations, the first day meals and mess after that, the second day with the same things, and almost no help from Mira or Thomas.
It is not like Thomas. He was always very helpful. But it looks like something happened to him. We have been told that he got a problem to be with the people. And now it is a problem for him to cope with too many kids. And to cope with Nadya. So he was out (in their bedroom) the most of the time. And Mira was occupied with Nadya.
And we had all other things to cope with. And Tina is not fit for fight at the moment. And she did not get time to rest during the Christmas break, which was no break for her at all.
If it was not for Nika, who helped us with that big dinner at the first Christmas day, it could end with a major family disaster. But as it went we are just more tired than we were before Christmas days.
Looks like the tooth of time begins to chew (both of) us.
And we do not have free until New Year.
Tina has used all her free days, and will be one of the few who will be at the lab. I hope that they do not have too much to do, because I cannot persuade her to stay home.
I am sorry to bother you with our small problems, but you are the only one I can write these things without feeling ashamed. And it helps a little bit to get it out of the system.
How I could survive before I got you? Maybe I was younger and less sensitive?
But anyway I thank the Puppeteer for you.
Could you like the music?
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 28. December 2006 00:33
To: editmorrison
Subject: FW: Thanks

Dearest Sis,
Thank you for comforting words. I really needed them. It does not mean that I was so much deep in the hole, but I will lie if I said that I was on the top.
Yes. The family life is not any dance on the roses (or maybe on their thorns).
And one cannot please everybody.
We have (strange enough) still problem with Ms. Pihl (Mira).
It is like everything should be according to her book, which does not take in consideration us and our feelings. The problem is probably that we love her very much, and do not feel same thing from the other side. Or maybe what she feels is not put together in the way we think it should be.
I know that it is our problem. Take the feelings out, and look only at the facts, than you will see that we are some weirdos, who do not know what they are claiming for.
What I am writing? Tina will kill me knew what I am telling you. But if I cannot tell it to you, I cannot tell it to anybody.
OK. Enough bothering for today.
Hope that all my writing does not destroy your relaxation time too much.
Of any reason I have a feeling that Oscar Peterson is not your cup of tea. Never mind. I like his music very much anyway. And we have to be a little bit different. Otherwise we could not find out where the one stops and the other begins.
This year has started with Tina's very difficult surgery, and we should be grateful that it has ended well.
And I have found you and Dad. So the year's score is much on the positive side.
And the only thing I wish is that the new one should not be worse.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 28. December 2006 18:43
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Warning

Dearest Sis,
You have beaten your record again.
I have given up to get an email from you a quarter past four, which makes 2:15 AM your time, and your email arrives 24 minutes after that?!
I must warn you. If you do it once more I do not open the email before the next day.
Be a good girl and go to bed before midnight (or just after, but not latter).
This is not good for your health, even though it is because you have to write an email to your brother.
If you do not care about yourself, I cannot do anything about it. But think about me.
I have just got a sister. And she is at the moment in quite good shape (I suppose).
And I want her to last as long as possible. And what you do?
You oppose to it by getting her stay awaken long in the night.
And instead to get more vital power she will wither away like a bad cultivated flower.
From today, it is stringent forbidden for you to repeat these things in the future.
I do not know what punishment I can find for that kind of crime.
But the first one will be a silent line for one day.
Quiet day.
I was a little bit late to go to bed yesterday.
And according to Tina was a bad boy to drive two times on yellow light. So in the morning she did not want to be driven to work by me. Got an order to rest one hour more.
Came half an hour too late to the office.
No harm done, because only I and my colleague (from our Polish mafia) were present today.
And there is hardly anything to do, which cannot be done on the other side of the year.
Got the time to go preparing some frames for the future presentations.
The topic is interesting because the machine in question is just offered to one of our Australian clients. And there is a slight possibility that I can get an opportunity to present the machine outstanding qualities down under. Under the condition that I can convince our salesmen that I am qualified for the job. That is why I do the preparation job in the first place.
Called Tina at 3:00 PM and convinced her that today will be a good boy and drive the lady without any accidents.
And now we are home. Quiet and peaceful.
Feels good despite an awful weather.
And the days will become longer.
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 29. December 2006 16:22
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Serious (not Chinese) Warning 2

Dearest Sis,
Since you have been late to read the warning - no penalty today.
But now you know it, and the timer is on.
As you can see below your email has arrived at 3:25 PM, which means 1:25AM your time.
You can get a "shadow time" equal with the delivery delay from the server down under, but not more.
And I will be really unhappy to punish you, because it will be also a punishment for me too.
I am so accustom to write to you that I will have a big problem to stop with it. It is like I have found a part of me some remote place. But it feels not that far away as long as I know I can write (and get a response). It feels so good. And despite the distance very close. Even though I will prefer to have you much closer to me.
Yesterday evening Tina has decided to stay up earlier next day. And I supposed to stay up with her and drive her to the lab. The meaning was early to work and early home.
But this morning I have realized that she has knocked the alarm clock too good, and the result was 45 minutes delay from the normal wake up time. But early from work we went anyway.
So now we have free until New Year. And it looks like we get really free.
Ella has called Tina and asked her if she will be much upset if she and Jesper will spend New Year's Eve with their father. The original agreement was that the kids would stay with us.
But she has called her father, and he has agreed to have them at his place.
So what we can do? Just say that it is OK, even though Tina is not that happy with it at all.
If the guy wanted to have the kids, it could be agreed in advance, not in the last minute.
And with a feeling that it is because Ella has called him, and it just accidentally does not interfere in his planes.
So we get a quiet New Year's Eve. Just two of us and a bottle of champagne.
ot the first and not the last time. And between us I am not that unhappy with it.
t last, it will be a real rest for Tina and her legs. And this is not that bad.
Hope you get some more entertaining evening (our TV program that day is usually hopeless).
Love you.
Dan

From: Dan Wainblum [mailto:daniel.wainblum@post.uni2.dk]
Sent: 31. December 2006 15:02
To: 'Edit Morrison'
Subject: Nine hours difference-Happy New Year

Dearest Sis,
It is almost New Year where you are. And we have to wait some hours for it.
And then one more year has passed.
Bad or good? As usual a difficult question.
The start of the year has not been good. All our plans have been changed because of Tina's surgery. But in a way it went on a good side, because the surgery was successful.
And my brother has died. And I found my sister and my dad.
Were these things connected? Could one thing happen without the other? Who knows?
And frankly speaking I do not want to know. What counts for me is the final score. And this is positive. I got Dad.
But what happen to be more important for me, I got a sister.
I know I should not write it. How I can favour you instead of my own father?
I love him, but I do it anyway. And why? Because somehow you became a part of me?
But he was a part of me (or opposite) from very beginning.
Because I feel an invisible connection between us two?
Such one exists also between Dad and me, and is probably more visible.
Because you became my soul mate?
Possible. But is it all? Do not know.
But whatever it is, it is real. It feels warm and good.
Jeer!
I had to write just some New Year's greetings, and where I am now?
And there is only five minutes to your midnight.
So I wish you and your boys and girls a Happy New Year.
May all your wishes will be fulfilled.
Love you.
Dan